6 Month Review: IT GETS EASIER!
Half a year. 6 months. 24 weeks. 180 days. We made it! And I'm here to say, it gets better.
6 months was always a hazy marker in the distant future we were working towards. For some reason we always were holding out for this milestone. It felt like it would be huge when we had survived for six whole months, and well, it does. It feels pretty darn amazing, and I cannot believe what a wild ride it has been.
The first two months are a foggy blur of days and nights with no differentiation, full of feeding babies, changing diapers, making bottles, and puke. Lots of puke. Jon and I have decided we don't really remember it all too well but we figure it was pretty hard.
The third month was easy peasy, I was killing it. I got the girls in an amazing routine. Naps were on point, bedtime set, only one night feed. I got this! Then, the 4th month happened....
The month I shudder when I think about. The month that went to hell in a handbasket.
The four month sleep regression hit us really hard. Naps became a battle ground and virtually non existent. Causing the girls to perpetually be pissed off because they were exhausted, not able to move around, not able to entertain themselves, always bored, it was the weird in between month. Then we had the four month vaccines. Our girls are really sensitive to vaccines and it throws them off for at least a week. Then the girls all got sick, in increments, so it lasted the whole month. In the midst of this they had constipation that would cause them to scream in pain when they pooped. Like full on blood curdling, face totally red, sounding like they were dying pain. We also had a visit to the ER when Fairen became inconsolable. I was completely on edge. I rallied all the strength I had within me to not have a total mental breakdown. I found myself in tears dry heaving into the kitchen sink from the weight of the stress. We had to bounce and rock the girls to sleep (big mistake!!!) but we got desperate!! Making it so we would bounce one, put them down, bounce the next, put them down, bounce the last, get them down, then the first would wake up and repeat. No breaks, no nothin'. I felt like it was never going to feel normal, I was in complete survival mode. Then suddenly it all started to fall into place.
Month five, the fog begins to lift! The girls started to be less fussy. Poops became regular, (never thought I would be excited for poopy diapers, if you have ever had a baby with constipation you know what a relief it is.). They started to be entertained and play. Naps started to lengthen out and we stopped bouncing and rocking. Our routine fell into place and all three started napping at the same time again!
Now here we are at 6 and a half months. Teething has been added to the mix and the girls are super cranky and whine and grunt constantly, but it is nothing compared to their fourth month (shudder). The girls do have extremely bad stranger danger and don't let strangers hold them, or even look at them without crying. But we now have an awesome routine that we stick to each day, all three girls nap at the same time and are sleeping decent at night. We are working on weaning their last night feed, and waiting for the day they can put their own binkies back in. (We tried to take those away, hahah, not worth it). I am prepared mentally for it to fall apart at any moment. But now I know I can handle it. I know now that it is always going to be peaks and valleys and the hard months will lead to amazing milestones and happy giggly babies once again.
The girls are so alert, so inquisitive of everything around them and little sponges soaking up everything. They are so much fun, and getting so much more affectionate. I am so proud of them and so excited for what the next six months have in store. I feel relieved that when it is good, it is really good, and when it is hard, it is easy to forget once it's over. Especially when those little faces look up at me and smile those sweet little baby smiles.
6 months was always a hazy marker in the distant future we were working towards. For some reason we always were holding out for this milestone. It felt like it would be huge when we had survived for six whole months, and well, it does. It feels pretty darn amazing, and I cannot believe what a wild ride it has been.
The first two months are a foggy blur of days and nights with no differentiation, full of feeding babies, changing diapers, making bottles, and puke. Lots of puke. Jon and I have decided we don't really remember it all too well but we figure it was pretty hard.
The third month was easy peasy, I was killing it. I got the girls in an amazing routine. Naps were on point, bedtime set, only one night feed. I got this! Then, the 4th month happened....
The month I shudder when I think about. The month that went to hell in a handbasket.
The four month sleep regression hit us really hard. Naps became a battle ground and virtually non existent. Causing the girls to perpetually be pissed off because they were exhausted, not able to move around, not able to entertain themselves, always bored, it was the weird in between month. Then we had the four month vaccines. Our girls are really sensitive to vaccines and it throws them off for at least a week. Then the girls all got sick, in increments, so it lasted the whole month. In the midst of this they had constipation that would cause them to scream in pain when they pooped. Like full on blood curdling, face totally red, sounding like they were dying pain. We also had a visit to the ER when Fairen became inconsolable. I was completely on edge. I rallied all the strength I had within me to not have a total mental breakdown. I found myself in tears dry heaving into the kitchen sink from the weight of the stress. We had to bounce and rock the girls to sleep (big mistake!!!) but we got desperate!! Making it so we would bounce one, put them down, bounce the next, put them down, bounce the last, get them down, then the first would wake up and repeat. No breaks, no nothin'. I felt like it was never going to feel normal, I was in complete survival mode. Then suddenly it all started to fall into place.
Month five, the fog begins to lift! The girls started to be less fussy. Poops became regular, (never thought I would be excited for poopy diapers, if you have ever had a baby with constipation you know what a relief it is.). They started to be entertained and play. Naps started to lengthen out and we stopped bouncing and rocking. Our routine fell into place and all three started napping at the same time again!
Now here we are at 6 and a half months. Teething has been added to the mix and the girls are super cranky and whine and grunt constantly, but it is nothing compared to their fourth month (shudder). The girls do have extremely bad stranger danger and don't let strangers hold them, or even look at them without crying. But we now have an awesome routine that we stick to each day, all three girls nap at the same time and are sleeping decent at night. We are working on weaning their last night feed, and waiting for the day they can put their own binkies back in. (We tried to take those away, hahah, not worth it). I am prepared mentally for it to fall apart at any moment. But now I know I can handle it. I know now that it is always going to be peaks and valleys and the hard months will lead to amazing milestones and happy giggly babies once again.
The girls are so alert, so inquisitive of everything around them and little sponges soaking up everything. They are so much fun, and getting so much more affectionate. I am so proud of them and so excited for what the next six months have in store. I feel relieved that when it is good, it is really good, and when it is hard, it is easy to forget once it's over. Especially when those little faces look up at me and smile those sweet little baby smiles.
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